


Face Blindness

by Prester_John



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Cyberpunk, Gen, Genetic Engineering, Nanites
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 06:33:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7790503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prester_John/pseuds/Prester_John
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a Cyberpunk version of Zootopia, Judy discovers she can't even trust herself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Written for /trash/'s Thematic Thursday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Face Blindness

Judy Hopps looked at shot of the murderer. Judy Hopps looked right back at her.

"I'm... what?" She was speechless. Bogo had handed her a printed shot of the murderer in the Swinton case; recovered from the smashed security camera... and it was her.

"Hopps, this is possibly some kind of hacking incident. Someone replacing their face with yours; but for legal reasons I have to ask where you were at half seven, Saturday morning."

Judy still had trouble believing it. She tried checking the print out, looking for errors, as if some tell-tale pixel would reveal the fraud. "I... I was off duty, hanging out with Ni-er, Officer Wilde."

Bogo nodded, "He already corroborated it, but I needed to ask in an official capacity. Do you know of anyone who'd have the hacking skills needed to pull this off; who might bear a grudge?"

"No, no one." Judy shook her head, "Not even Bellwether could pull off something like this, and her crew's hacking skills were without compare."

Bogo sighed, laying back in his chair. Nothing had been the same since CFO Bellwether had came up with that Nighthowler hack. A nanotech virus, which when activated turned any mammal it hit into an unthinking savage. He'd almost lost a damn fine officer to that, and instead gained a new one.

Right on cue, Officer Wilde burst in, holding a set of printouts. "I've got it, it's not her!"

Bogo pinched the bridge of his snout in between his hooves. "I know that Wilde. I kept telling you it was just procedure. We're probably looking at a software hacker."

"No sir, it's worse than that." Nick threw the papers on Bogo's desk. All of them were photos of Judy, all in different places across the city. Even more disturbingly, they all bore the same time stamp.

Judy scrabbled, picking one up at random. It showed her trying to pick a wolf's pocket. No wait... in the background there she was as well, drinking a bottle of alcohol. "Cheese and crackers, Nick. What the heck is this?"

Nick didn't say anything, he just went over to the video screen in Bogo's office -- currently displaying a map of the city -- and switched it over to some streaming software.

A video popped up on the screen, showing a cheerful looking wolf in a lab-coat and glasses, in what looked like a car showroom filled with couches and desks. The wolf turned to the camera and spoke: "New, Celebriface treatment! Ever gotten bored of your face? Wanted to be someone else for the day? Now you can."

The wolf gestured at a crowd of female antelopes all sitting around a table in white smocks. A moose assistant was walking around with a set of syringes.

"Our simple treatment implants you with our patented nanotechnology. The minuscule machines take your face and res- ah heck, why am I telling you, when I could show you?"

The moose injected the first of the antelopes with a syringe, before moving on to the next. As he left each one, the antelope's faces started to shift. The fur pattens changed, even their hair became a shock of blond drooping over their face in a recognisable bang.

"Gazelle," Judy gasped.

Pretty soon the entire room was filled with doppelgänger of the famous singer. All indistinguishable from each other, and from the real thing.

"As you can see, the Celebriface treatment has proven results. You can be who you want to, for as long as you want to. A day, a week, why not forever?" The wolf grinned to the camera. "Just remember, a new you is just a day away!"

"Turn it off Wilde." Bogo's voice was calming, but Nick could feel the tension in the air as the buffalo put his paw on Judy's shoulder. Nick clicked off the video screen, turning it to a screen the colour of a storm.

"So... the people in the photos... they're me?" Judy blinked back tears, as she tried to grasp the enormity of it.

"Not you, they're just copying your face for a bit." Nick knelt down, taking Judy's paws in his.

"So they can commit crimes! Who knows what else they plan on doing this for?" Judy took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. She glanced at the pack of photos on the desk. The outfits some of those bunnies were wearing. Nick glanced at Bogo, who grabbed the files and hid them behind his back.

"Not for long. I've checked the laws, and technically your could file them for copyright infringement;" Nick rubbed Judy's paws, something that always comforted her when stressed.

"Over my face?" Judy blinked, her eyes were red, but her mouth was twisted into a smile. The idea was ridiculous, at least on the surface.

"It's bringing you into disrepute. Technically... we can charge them for it. Get them to send out the shutdown codes for the nanites." Nick looked at Bogo.

"Wilde's right Hopps. I'll go speak with the mayor, get a warrant; and we'll go shut this place down as soon as I can get together a TUSK force."

Judy nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Just one thing chief... let me deliver the warrant."

Bogo was about to deny it. No sense putting her in the public eye given the circumstances... but then he saw her face. The uncertainty showing on it, the way she laboured her breath. She needed this, she needed to prove to herself that it was stopped, that there'd be no one else out there wearing her face.

"All right Hopps. You can be tip of the spear."

\---

Judy fought the lock to her apartment -- The darn thing wasn't working, and after the day she'd had at work... She shuddered.

Sighing, she took out the kit Nick had given her for her birthday. A set of electronic lock-picks. She'd never thought she'd have to use them to break into her own home.

Exhausted, she flopped onto her bed. The walk home had been eerie, too many bunnies on the street wearing her face. She knew that they looked up to her, but why would anyone want to wear someone else's' face? Why would they want to be her, and not be satisfied living their own lives?

It was tempting to curl up and go to sleep, she had to be up early to go to the Celebriface Clinic. But still, the tightness in her stomach was obviously from hunger, and not just the fear and uncertainty which had plagued her ever since she first saw her face on another bun.

Stretching her tired muscles, Judy clambered from the bed, forcing herself to go to the fridge, see what she had.

The meals on offer seemed even bleaker than she remembered: a leftover carrot curry, and several boxed salads. "And this is the world all those buns want to live." Shaking her head, she grabbed the curry and stuck it in the microwave.

She watched the bowl turn as it was reheated, shutting out all concious thought. When it beeped done, she sat down to eat it at her desk. Glancing at the photo of her family, a thought struck her. It was hard enough for her to tell the difference between her "clones" and herself... her family would have no way to tell. The thought was almost enough to put her off her dinner.

She forced down the last of the curry, and threw the bowl in the sink. I can do it tomorrow, she lied to herself -- but caring about the washing up was the last thing she wanted to do right now.

Throwing herself back into bed, she started spooning with the covers. Some sleep would help. It had to.

\---

The dreams were all too real. Judy found herself walking down a street in Zootopia, surrounded by copies of herself. Everywhere she turned, there was another Judy. Some towered over her like elephants, some mouse-sized Judies scurried between her feet as she tried to frantically make it to safety, to solitude.

She stumbled into an ally, turning around to watch the street full of smiling faces. She realised they weren't all alike, they all wore different clothes -- some of the giant ones were dressed in suits like the Polar Bear Johnsons she'd met.

She tried to comfort herself with that. They weren't her they were all individuals. They just looked like her.

Some comfort.

She tried running deeper into the alleys, trying to get away. But even here, she wasn't alone. Her face watched her from every window, every doorway. She ran on, barely noticing her surroundings. Until she collided with someone.

"Heya carrots," Nick's voice greeted her. She saw his old green shirt in front of her. It was Nick, here to comfort her, to save her from the nightmare. She looked up, desperate to see his smiling face.

Judy Hopps stared back.

Waking from her nightmare, Judy only barely made it to the nearby sink before she vomited.

\---

Morning found Judy hunched over a mug of postum. Nothing seemed to help her sleep. So she figured she might as well get some work done until she got the call.

"Just gotta get this done, and I can sleep," she muttered as she filled in more forms.

A jangling sound echoed from her pocket. A text message: "Almost there. Get your butt down here." Judy couldn't help but grin, despite the lack of sleep. Sounds like they'd be starting early.

Carefully brushing down her fur -- she didn't want to look like a slob -- she got her uniform on, and headed down to the waiting vehicle. A door opened up, and she got in.

\--

"So, have we got the warrant yet, everything ready?" Judy turned to Nick, driving the car. He looked almost as rattled as she was.

"Yes," he glanced at her briefly, then put his eyes back on the road as they sped off into the dawn light. "But that's not all..."

"Nick, I've had one of the worst nights since I came to Zootopia," she took a sip of Nick's coffee and grimaced. "If whatever you've got is bad enough that you've had to come take be on this ride... it's only gonna be worse if you keep it to yourself."

Nick sighed and pointed at the glove box. "Bogo had the lab boys check over the murder weapon. Found some hairs on it." Opening up the compartment, Judy found a lab report: she flicked it open to read through as Nick stalled for time.

"Cheese and crackers." Judy could barely believe it, the DNA was a perfect match. "It's... it's me?" She looked up at Nick.

"Doc Hurriet thinks that the nano-machines aren't just altering the user's appearance. They're altering their DNA. At least some of them. Some of those antelopes did change hair colour to match Gazelle after all."

"But for the fur to be a complete match... and those bunnies on the streets," Judy waved a paw, even in the early dawn several doppelgänger were already out, "they've only been popping up in the last few days, otherwise it wouldn't be surprise."

"They've been working on this for some time," Nick nodded, "maybe a year or so. Making sure it's ready for the public."

"Enough time for an entirely new coat of fur." She drummed her claws on the dash.

"The other question is: if they're using your DNA, where did they get it from? You donated any blood in the past few years?" Nick pulled around a corner, joining a procession of ZPD vehicles. Despite the early start, they were obviously the last to arrive.

"Trafficking in mammal tissue's a serious charge..." Judy stared into the distance, Nick wasn't sure if she was happy she had another crime to pin on them, or feeling even worse that her body had been violated in such a way.

Finally the cars pulled up at the "clinic". Judy's first impression had been right: a former car showroom turned into a front room for genetic manipulation. Judy slipped out of the car, grabbing Nick's coffee off the dash, and walked to the front of the convoy.

McHorn and Higgens stood with a bunch of TUSK officers -- Just in case -- and saluted when Judy approached. "Bogo tells us you're in charge," McHorn replied to Judy's inquisitive head tilt.

"Thanks... at ease," she wasn't used to this. But having them there, backing her up -- It made her feel better.

The clinic's doors were locked, it was still a ways off opening time, but the TUSK officers made short work of it. A receptionist was there and Judy's heart skipped a beat when she saw the rabbit ears.

But no, this wasn't one of her clones. Just a regular bunny, whose face was filled with terror at the sight of a bunch of heavily armoured cops barging into her work. For a moment Judy thought they were going to have a heart attack, but they rallied quickly enough.

"I'm officer Judy Hopps of the Zootopia Police Department, District One. We have a warrant to shut you down on violation of copyright and suspicions of mammal tissue trafficking." Judy let out a deep breath she hadn't realised she'd held back. Soon it would be over.

"I'll... I'll go get Doctor Lupus." The receptionist attempted to run off into the back of the clinic when Higgens grabbed her by the coat.

"Don't worry about it, we'll tell him ourselves." He grinned, as the tusk officers began searching the building.

Judy followed behind, eyes darting around the place. Ready to spot a doppelgänger.

There, in one of the rooms! Ignoring the other officers in their procession to find the doctor, Judy Hopps stepped into the room, finding herself face to face with Judy Hopps.

\---

Strapped to the chair, Judy Hopps found herself face to face with Judy Hopps.

"Why are you in my uniform?" Her voice filled with anger, she'd seen so many wearing different outfits, but so far none had seen fit to try and copy her entirely. The bunny wearing her face had gotten all the details right, an excellent forgery; and they were even holding a gun. Not one of those dart guns used for riot control, a slug thrower -- retro tech, and even more dangerous. But Judy wasn't going to give into fear, not for a copy.

\---

"Your uni-" Judy couldn't believe it, the bunny in the chair was crazy. They were dressed in a reproduction of her uniform, clad in neoprene and kevlar; and strapped down like a savage about to go feral.

She pointed her gun at the clone, Eyeing her warily. "Where's Doctor Lupus?" The false Judy just waved her paws in disbelief.

"I have no idea who that is. I got a text message on my phone, went down to the car and they knocked me out. Here I wake up, with one of my fakes staring up at me!"

"Fake..." Judy wanted to scream, wanted to shout. This lunatic seemed to think they were actually her.

\---

The bunny waving the gun seriously thought they were her? Judy shuddered, she was facing someone dangerously mad. She wished they hadn't taken her phone, or the fox taser had dad had given her -- old fashioned, but it would work on any mammal.

Surprising Judy the other bunny came closer, dropping the gun as she did so. "You're wrong. You're not me. I'm going to get you some help."

Judy started to relax. They'd go see the cops, get a DNA test, and prove she was Judy. This imposter would get therapy, then they could return to who they were.

She felt the straps around her arms go slack, and then the legs. She glanced up at the other Judy.

Something was wrong... her cheek...

\---

At the sound of gunfire, Nick looked up from the desk. He'd been examining paperwork while Judy and the TUSKers had gone deeper into the lab. But that sound... an antique slug-thrower.

Nick ran ahead, finding the TUSK unit doubling back. No Judy.

"Damn it carrots!" Together they shoved into the room that the sound had echoed from, coming face to face with two Judies.

One was on the ground, face ruined by a gunshot. The other was by the wall, her uniform and face covered in splatters of blood. Her eyes were full of tears.

Nick couldn't help it, he instinctively grabbed Judy, pulling her close. The bunny sobbed, "she shot herself... she said that I was real... and then put the gun to her face..."

"It's okay Judy... it's okay."

\---

Doctor Hurriet did everything slowly. Everyone assumed it was because she was a sloth, but in truth, even her fellow sloths found her achingly slow.

No, she laboured over every test and examination because she was a perfectionist. And it didn't help that the body before her, the one she'd been doing an autopsy on, was the body of her friend. Who was also being comforted a few rooms over by the department shrink.

Cursing, Hurriet checked the records Nick and the TUSK officers had filled in. It seemed simple.

Two Judies. Thanks to the treatment, their DNA was identical. At least not without doing tests on both brains to compare, which Judy wasn't likely to agree to. No traces of any extra nano-machines in the corpse's bloodstream. And none in the sample she'd extracted from Judy (purely routine, she'd claimed)

And of course, the evidence from the gun. It was the same model as the one used in the earlier case. A retro-slug thrower. And just like then, the hairs recovered had all been Judy's.

But which one? The corpse or the survivor? And which one was the original.

Hurriet slowly made her way to the window. She wished she could smoke, but she didn't have the patience to walk all the way to the smoking area outside.

Two options presented themselves to her.

One: What Judy told her was the truth. The other Judy had shot themselves.

Two: It was a lie, the living Judy had shot the dead one.

Neither made a great deal of sense.

The real question was... did she tell anyone? They had Judy. They'd shut down the clinic. No more Judies would come about, and all the others would fade away as the counter signal was sent to their nano-machines.

Hurriet cursed herself again, and lit up a cigarette anyway. She had to tell herself over and over that they had Judy, the original Judy, the right Judy.

Someday she might even believe it.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this was an interesting way to get back into the groove after a vacation.
> 
> Edit: completely forgot 
> 
> Every time there's a section break (represented by ---) there's a change of perspective between the two main characters, who are both Judy. We'll call them Judy A, and Judy B.
> 
> Judy A is the one who has the talk with Bogo and Nick, has the nightmare, and is in the car with Nick when going to the clinic.  
> Judy B is the one at her apartment, who goes downstairs in the morning after getting a text, and is found -- bound -- by Judy A. (She even mentions getting a text, going down and getting captured)
> 
> One of them is an imposter, their mind deluding themselves into thinking they're the real one. But it's hard to say which one is witch.


End file.
